Jensen and Faraday were on their first date that Friday night. The couple planned to attend a Christmas concert at Hogan High School a few blocks from Betty Lou Jensen's home. Instead they visited a friend and stopped at a local restaurant. Afterward, they drove out on Lake Herman Road. At about 10:15 PM, Faraday parked his mother's Rambler in a gravel turnout. The area a well-known lover's lane at the entrance to the Benicia water pumping station.
Shortly after 11 PM, a car pulled into the turnout and parked beside them. The man shot David Faraday in the head. Jensen was shot five times in the lower back, with two of the bullets emerging from the front of her body. One of the bullets was found in her clothing around her pelvic region. Faraday still held a class ring in tips of his fingers. At the time officers arrived on scene, Faraday was apparently still showing signs of life, as he was sent to a hospital in Vallejo. Jensen was already dead.
The couple had been shot with a 22. caliber handgun. The ground had been frozen solid and no visible tire tracks could be found.